Once Upon A Midnight Dreary
by VivaLaSQ18
Summary: All it takes is one storm for Regina to remember just how much her life has changed over the past few years. And change, well.. Change can be good. Chapters loosely based on lines from the poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe.
1. Chapter 1: Forgotten Lore

**Author Note:** I own nothing. All mistakes are my own. Most events have happened. Robin Hood didn't exist.

* * *

_"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak, and weary,_

_over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore.." -Edgar Allan Poe_

As Regina drove slowly down the streets of Storybrooke, the rain pounded down on her windshield faster than the wipers could handle. Even at the crawling pace she was going, it was almost impossible to see the road ahead of her. Tree branches and other debris littered the road. Regina swerved to miss hitting a particularly large piece of cardboard that must have come from one of the toppled over garbage cans. Her car splashed and slid in a large stream of water. It ran down the side of the road where a storm drain was clogged. She made a mental note to herself to make sure to get that taken care of on Monday morning. The weather in Storybrooke hadn't been this turbulent in years. At least not that she could remember. A hard crack of thunder and a bright flash of lightening startled Regina out of her trance. "Holy shit. This couldn't of waited until I made it home?" Of course, she would have been home a whole hour sooner if her evening had gone as planned.

"Damn Charmings" she cursed into her empty car. The weekly dinner she barely participated in at the Charming's household had lasted a few hours longer than she would have liked. Then again, that was usually the case. Every week she vowed to find a way out of it, but every week she found herself back at their dinner table participating in mundane conversations that she rarely found entertaining. That isn't to say that she disliked her newfound "family". She found some comfort in the fact that she had people that seemed to truly care about her well-being again. They had, in fact, gone through a lot together. Neverland and Pan. Not to mention the Wicked Witch. Memories were lost and gained and Regina had finally come out on the positive end of things with the people in her town. She enjoyed the light that had come into her life. She just didn't see why it was necessary to play house every week. Henry was clearly aware of her discomfort. He made sure to be a main topic of conversation and did what he could to intervene when necessary.

As Regina finally pulled into her driveway, she glanced down at the clock. A drive that would usually take five minutes on a bad day had taken her twenty. She spent another five sitting in the car hopelessly willing the rain to slow. When she was positive there was no end in sight, she made her break for it. It only took the few feet she had to venture from the car to her porch for her to get soaked. Not that it helped that she had worn a pair of her highest heels to dinner that night. Even if the company was going to be questionable, she might as well look good. Regina dropped her bag and kicked off her heels the second she was able to get the door closed behind her. Her dress was all but ruined. This was one of the few times that she regretted the dresses she owned. The material wouldn't handle this water well. One zipper pull and a few minutes later, she dropped her dress off in the laundry room before making her way upstairs to get into some warm clothes.

The storm outside didn't seem to have slowed by the time Regina had made it back down to her living room. With book and cider in tow, she decided curling up on the couch was as good as this evening was going to get. She hated being alone in the mansion when it was storming. The noises seemed to be amplified by the empty space around her. Hopefully the power would stay on. The last thing she wanted to deal with was dozens of fairytale characters acting as though they had never lived without electricity before. As the wind whipped and swirled around outside of her living room window, Regina tried to think back to the last time a storm this size had hit. Thinking back, it had been some time. The memory hit her hard and she vividly remembered the last time she had found herself in this situation. A small laugh escaped her lips at the mere thought of the last storm. It seemed like her whole world had changed since that night. Maybe it was more accurate to say that her whole world had changed **because** of that night.

It started much the same, she thought. Although she hadn't gotten caught out in the rain that particular night. The lightening had been strong enough to light the house up with one flash. Unfortunately, she was alone then as well. Henry had begged to go spend the night with his grandparents. At the time, that wasn't exactly an idea that she had been fond of but Henry could be quite persuasive when he wanted something. While it stormed outside, she had tried to keep herself busy. That was until the power had gone out. After lighting a few candles around the room, she was finally able to try and relax. The last thing she expected to hear was the deafening sound of someone pounding on her front door. That wasn't the biggest shock Regina would receive that night however. In fact, it was the person doing the knocking who would make this night one that she would never forget...


	2. Chapter 2: Rapping At My Chamber Door

**Author Note:** I own nothing. All mistakes are my own. Most events have happened. Robin Hood didn't exist.

* * *

_While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,_  
_As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door._

* * *

It hadn't been a particularly eventful day for the Sherif of Storybrooke. It was the kind of day that made Emma seriously question whether the sleepy town even needed any law enforcement. Aside from the occasional new threat that would make it's way into town, the mundane day to day musings of the town weren't anything to bat an eyelash at. Break up a few fights. Deal with the occasional drunk down at the town bar. The weekly pet chase. Nothing that needed any real action on her part. Not that Emma was complaining much. A boring day at work meant that there were no longer mobs of angry fairytale characters running through town with pitchforks. On an even better note, no one was trying to break down Regina's door anymore. That got exhausting quite quickly. For people who had been through so much already, the simplest things could rile these people up. Lately, however, there hadn't been any reason for the towns folk to want to lynch the Mayor.

Things had settled down quite nicely for Emma. It still surprised her how happy she could be living in this boring little town. It was even harder to fathom that she could honestly consider this place her home. A location Emma never thought she would find. She had a family now. A real, loving, and slightly overbearing family. Exactly what she had dreamt of when she was a young child in the system. When kids at school would complain about their mother or father trying to control what they did, Emma couldn't help but think of how nice it would be to have someone who cared about her enough to worry about where she went and what she did. She had that now. It might be a little unconventional but that didn't make it feel anything less than amazing.

Of course that was leaving out the most important member of her family, Henry. If she was being honest with herself, that also meant that Regina should be considered a part of her family. Once everything had settled in town, Emma and Regina had fallen into a routine of sorts regarding Henry's living arrangements. They had his pick up and drop off system worked out extremely well. There was rarely anything greater than a hiccup of a distribution in their well oiled machine. That of course was primarily due to the fact that Emma and Regina had slowly developed a rather nice friendship. In the weeks following the curse breaking, Emma had to practically camp out on Mifflin Street in an attempt to keep the peace. When the mobs would finally give up, Regina would invite the Sherif into the mansion. What started as a simple offer for Emma to get out of the cold eventually turned into having a drink together and from there it was a steady progression. Drinks turned into dinners. Dinners turned into the occasional sleepover in one of the mansions many spare bedrooms. And well, Emma couldn't think of a single downside to becoming friends with Henry's other mother.

A quick bolt of lightning and a crack of thunder was enough to snap Emma out of her trance. It was impossible for her to miss the steady pounding of rain hitting loudly against the building. She immediately went to peek through the blinds that covered her office window. "Shit", Emma cursed to herself. She hadn't remembered hearing anything about an upcoming storm. A few more rumbles were sounding in the distance. The lights flickered once but remained on. Emma wasn't very confident that they would stay that way. A storm this size would surely cause havoc in the little town. It's not like the electrical wiring throughout the town was up to date. Like a lot of things, it seemed to be stuck back in the 80's.

Emma's shift would be over soon. Luckily she wasn't on call for the evening either. So she didn't see the harm in sneaking out a little early. At least she would have a chance at beating the heart of the storm if she left now. Judging by the sounds she was hearing, it was unlikely the storm was going to be anything other than severe. Emma considered her options. Henry was spending the night with her parents, leaving her alone if she were to return to her apartment. It wasn't like there would be anything for her to do. The power was likely to go out and she'd be lying to herself if she said that she enjoyed being alone during a storm. That also meant Regina was Henry-less and most likely alone during the storm too.

"Well, that was an easy decision..", she thought. Emma grabbed her keys and coat and braced herself for what she was about to venture out in. After locking the station door, she broke into her best sprint for her bug with only one destination in mind. Mifflin Street.


	3. Chapter 3: Ember

**Author Note:** I own nothing. All mistakes are my own. Most events have happened. Have a Question? Let me clarify it. Hope you enjoy my take on things. Oh, and Robin Hood didn't exist.

* * *

_Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,  
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.  
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow  
From my books surcease of sorrow.._

* * *

The drive to Mifflin Street wasn't as terrible as it could have been for Emma. The small streets of Storybrooke were nothing compared to the busy city streets she had become accustomed to driving in. Even with the added chaos of the storm, Emma didn't bat an eye at the ride over to the mansion. Making it to the front door, however, was a whole different story. There were a lot of things that Emma Swan didn't own. At this very moment, she realized that an umbrella was something that was on that list.

It was a quick run to the front door, but a wet one. Emma attempted to shake some of the water off of her jacket and hair before rapping her fist against the Mayor's door. She didn't have to wait long for Regina to answer. The first thing that Emma noticed about the Mayor surprised her. Although they had become friends, Regina tended to keep her politician's mask in place for the majority of their interactions. This time was one of the rare occasions that Emma was able to see something different on Regina's face. She looked relaxed, open, and honestly concerned. The worried look on the brunette's face affected Emma's composure a little more than she would have liked. The butterflies floating around her stomach were accompanied by a goofy grin that she was sure made her look insane.

The second thing Emma noticed about Regina when she answered the door was her attire. Similar to her demeanor, the Mayor made sure to always maintain her extremely put together appearance around Emma. The few times that she had stayed over at the mansion, Emma had sleepily made her way downstairs only to see Regina already perfectly dressed and ready for her day. That was a huge disappointment. There was almost nothing that she wanted to see more than what Regina must look like when she wasn't trying to be perfect for the rest of the world. She wanted to see the woman beneath it all. And that was the version of Regina that was standing before her. She was in sweatpants. Not slacks. Real, honest to god sweatpants. The Mayor's upper body was encased in a simple t-shirt with a blanket draped over her shoulders. A t-shirt that was fitted to the body beneath it. _Incredibly_ fitted to the body beneath it. It was at that moment that Emma realized Regina had been talking to her the entire time she'd been ogling her body. She finally broke her silence, almost kicking herself for how ridiculous she must have sounded. "Hi."

"Miss Swan, are you okay? What in the world are you doing here? You shouldn't have been out driving in this storm", Regina fired back at a very confused Emma.

It was Regina's turn to notice something about Emma. The Sheriff stood there in her standard, every day outfit. On a normal day, it was nothing incredibly impressing. That isn't to say that the tight skinny jeans didn't catch her eye on occasion or that the red leather jacket that she donned regularly didn't make her look twice. But Regina would ever admit any of that to the blonde. It was much easier to keep giving Emma shit about her choice of clothing. That was her plan and she intended to stick to. That was until her eyes landed on a different part of the Sheriff. The plain white tank top that Emma wore was wet and stuck to her body like glue. The material, made slightly translucent by the cold rain outside, now clung to the Sheriff revealing the trim planes of her stomach. The hardened peaks of her nipples sticking out beneath the tank top caught Regina's attention immediately.

"Of course I'm okay. I just thought you could use some company during the storm.." she paused as a shiver ran through her body. "And we haven't gotten to spend much time together lately."

Regina's feeble attempt at holding back a smile didn't last long. A full blown smile broke out on her face within seconds. Emma instantly returned it with equal enthusiasm. To Emma, getting a real smile out of Regina made the trip already worth while.

"Well, don't just stand there then, you're letting all of the heat out!" Regina said trying to regain her composure. She held the door open a little wider as an invitation to the Sheriff. Emma gladly entered the mansion and removed her wet coat. She allowed Regina to usher her toward the fireplace. "God, you must be freezing. Let me grab you something" she told Emma as she shoved her closer to the fire. A few seconds later Emma was rewarded with a blanket being tossed around her. It was warm and quite possibly the softest material she had ever touched. She was positive that it had to cost more than the entire outfit she had on. The blanket combined with her closeness to the fire was definitely helping her warm up. But the biggest contributor to her newfound warmth had to be Regina rubbing up and down her arms in an effort to help take the chill away.


End file.
